Peglegs Make Playoff History

As the Peglegs walked off the field on Thursday, May 17, they held their heads and sticks high despite a 6-13 loss to Midwood High School in the semifinal round of the playoffs. With their head coach Di Wu leaving Stuyvesant in upcoming months, the final game was an emotional goodbye both for him and the graduating seniors. “When it was already clear to the offense that we were going to lose in the last quarter against Midwood, we had three or four minutes of incredible playing, crisp passing, smart shots, and perfect positioning that I'm going to remember for a long time,” senior and co-captain Dima Hvirtsman said.

The team claimed a 10-1 win in their initial playoff game against Albert Tuitt Educational Campus, making it the team’s first playoff win since they began playing in 2008. That wasn’t the only first for the team that game. Senior Rafsan Hamid scored three goals of 10 (what his teammates call his first “hat trick”), and in their previous game, the Peglegs saw a goalie switch as junior Xiangyu Gao took over as main goalie, leaving senior goalie and co-captain Sam Brimberg to score four goals in the position of Attack against Tuitt.

Looking ahead, the team hopes to continue implementing some of their new techniques that they have deemed effective, such as subbing players rapidly and the “pass from X,” and passing from behind the goal. “I think in high school lacrosse, it is very important to be patient and catch the other team off guard. With the ‘pass from X,’ we were able to open up so many more scoring opportunities,” said coach Wu.

Next season, junior and co-captain Rubin Peco is excited to take the Peglegs farther than they have ever been in the playoffs. “We're just gonna do what we did this year but times 10. Practice will be more intense. Pre-season and stuff will be more drawn out,” Peco said. Coach Wu laid the groundwork for a great team, and the Peglegs will carry on the techniques he introduced for years to come.

In the upcoming season, the Peglegs will get a new head coach, but Andrew Ligayi, a Pegleg alumnus, will remain as assistant coach to help ease the transition in coach Wu’s absence. “I want to tell the team that the foundation has been set, and the winning culture has been restarted. Now it is up to the rising players to carry this new tradition. Trust your skills, trust your teammates, stay motivated, stay focused, stay hungry, and do Stuyvesant proud,” coach Wu said.

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